Administration alarmed over school dropout rateOver 21,000 children in the age group
of 6 to 14 years not attending school
Faridabad, September 15
More than 21,000 children in the age group of 6 to 14 years had not been attending any school in the district. The government has decided to open special cluster schools in residential areas where 20 or more children are found to be not going to school in order to provide them education and make them literate.

Protests continue against new norms for
IIT entrance
New Delhi, September 15
Protesting against the reforms suggested vis-a-vis the Joint Entrance Exam, IIT aspirants staged a demonstration outside IIT here today. While the HRD ministry has announced that these changes will stay, there are indications that the proposed changes might be deferred for a year.

Police personnel trying to calm down students demonstrating at IIT Delhi against the new eligibility norms for IIT entrance
examination.
— A Tribune photograph

Bonanza for physically-challenged children on Hooda’s birthday
Faridabad, September 15
Activists and supporters adopt various means to register their presence or affiliation to their political bosses. The 59th birthday of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today was one such occasion.
The 59th birthday of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today was one such
occasion.

NRI gets 14-day JC in car theft case
New Delhi, September 15
An octogenarian NRI, accused of involvement in car-thefts, has been sent to 14 days judicial custody while hearing on his bail application was adjourned to September 17 by a Delhi court today.

Three-day COBSE meet begins
New Delhi, September 15A three-day meeting of Council of Board of School Education in India
in collaboration with NCERT began here today. The meeting is being attended by
over 50 members from different boards of school education across the country.

Faridabad, September 15
More than 21,000 children in the age group of 6 to 14 years had not been attending any school in the district. The government has decided to open special cluster schools in residential areas where 20 or more children are found to be not going to school in order to provide them education and make them literate. This was stated by the Deputy Commissioner, Mrs G. Anupama, while addressing a meeting called to review the progress of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in the district here today.

She said though the campaign had been going on in the state and the country for the past many years, the desired success would not be possible till the organisations concerned and the individuals at the grassroots level were not involved properly.

She said the dropout rate had been alarming in rural and semi-rural areas due to lack of proper motivation and guidance.

The children living in the slums and underdeveloped colonies had also been the victim of such a phenomenon as the parents of such children, who were themselves uneducated, prefer their children to work instead of attending schools, says a report.

The Deputy Commissioner said the cluster schools would be opened in the target areas and one school would be able to admit even as low as 20 to 25 kids, which would be run by a person who would be given Rs 1,000 per month as honorarium. She said the classes for such children would run in the nearest government primary schools and the convenience of the students and their parents would be considered. She asked the officials concerned to carry out a thorough awareness campaign of such schemes and the programmes of social development of the government at various levels, especially where the level of awareness had been very poor. She said the authorities concerned should install boards containing the required information at village, block and sub-division levels. It was added that the officials concerned should check regularly if the response of the various schemes was satisfactory and what were the reasons if this was not so. The constitution of the Gram Nirman Committee and the Gram Shiksha Committee at the village level was necessary in view of the growing need for education and participation of the people in various programmes. Though several crores were being spent on such schemes, including the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the result had been poor due to various factors, which included lack of proper accountability and continuous monitoring of the schemes by an independent authority, believe the experts. It was claimed that unless a proper check and balance was maintained the target may remain elusive.

New Delhi, September 15
Protesting against the reforms suggested vis-a-vis the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), IIT aspirants staged a demonstration outside IIT here today. While the HRD ministry has announced that these changes will stay, there are indications that the proposed changes might be deferred for a year.

But students aspiring to make it to the country’s premier academic institute continue to protest against them. During the second phase of protest outside IIT Delhi this week, the police had to use baton to disperse the demonstrators who gathered in front of the IIT main gate and raised slogans against the authorities, demanding that they should scrap the new rules. These students were accompanied by teachers from various coaching institutes, who have also voiced their protest over the new norms.

Refusing to part with details of whether there will be a change in the date for the implementation of the new pattern, the IIT-D Director, Dr Kothari said there is a meeting of the Joint Advisory Board Meeting in Kolkata on September 18, where all the IIT directors will meet to discuss the issue.

However, considering the widespread protest over the limit on the number of attempts and the cut-off percentage, there are indications that the proposed changes could be deferred for a year. While the IIT officials kept silent on the issue, sources said that the changes could be brought in later than the proposed date.

Meanwhile, the Council of Boards of School Education in India (COBSE) in a statement here today have seconded the reforms.

General secretary D V Sharma said, “We feel this decision will help strengthen class XII examinations and give greater importance and focus to the students at the senior secondary level. Serious students with appropriate attitude will be eligible for the examination and this will also dissuade many from entering coaching classes.”

The government had on September 12 announced the changes in IIT-JEE, including setting minimum marks that the students must score at +2 level, eliminating screening test and limiting to two the number of times a candidate takes the entrance test.

There will also be changes in the JEE pattern with short write-ups on select topics followed by objective questions aimed at testing students’ comprehension and analytical
ability. The changes follow recommendations of a Special Task Force headed by former JEE chief Idi Chandy, which were deliberated upon by a Standing Committee of the IIT Council chaired by Prof C N R Rao and comprising directors of all
IITs.

Faridabad, September 15
Activists and supporters adopt various means to register their presence or affiliation to their political bosses. The 59th birthday of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today was one such occasion. Veteran Congressman and Senior Deputy Mayor Shiv Charan Lal Sharma was the chief guest at a function organised by the Pandit Chandan Lal Dharmarth Trust to distribute stationery and other items to physically and mentally challenged children at Bal Bhawan here today.

According to the organisers, at least 500 schoolchildren, mostly from the SOS children’s village and other children from the underprivileged sections of society, were distributed stationery items like copies and toys to celebrate the birthday of the Haryana Chief Minister. It was claimed there was no better way to observe the birthday of a political leader, whose image had been quite clean. They said they wanted to highlight the welfare of children who needed most of all the care and attention of the mainstream. The chief guest asked the affluent sections, especially industrialists and businessmen, to give attention and devote their efforts for ensuring more facilities and help kids and the poor sections of society so that they could grow up without any guilt or inferiority complex.

Speaking on the issue of civic development of the city, Mr Sharma said Mr Hooda had promised full support in development and maintenance of the civic infrastructure. Admitting that the city required immediate steps to revive industrial and commercial development, he said the people could now hope for a faster growth in all fields. Interestingly, the copies that were distributed at the occasion had the photo of the Chief Minister, Mr Hooda. It was claimed that the photo would be able motivate the people to work hard as the image of the CM had been clean and that of a hardworking person.

Several local industrialists, including Mr H. K. Batra, Mr Ramneek Prabhakar, Mr Paramjit Singh and Mr I. J. Kalia were present. They assured their support and involvement in such activities.

New Delhi, September 15
As a part of its commitment towards society, M2K Cinemas at Pitampura today organized a special screening of ‘Iqbal’ for more than 40 differently abled children from ASHA—ann initiative of AWWA (Army Wives Welfare Association) and Ishwar—a non-govt organisation.. In the company of Indian cricketing legends of yesteryears—Kirti Azad, Nikhil Chopra, Vijay Dahiya, and Rahul Sanghvi, the faces of these anonymous children light up with smiles..

The basic aim behind this experience was to make these children feel special, to make them enjoy things that normal children of their age do and also give them an opportunity to learn how strong conviction and determination help you achieve something which otherwise remains a dream throughout your life.

The special invitees were also presented autographed cricket bats by the Indian cricketing legends on behalf of M2K Cinemas.

Says Mr Sanjay Bhat, GM Sales and Marketing, M2K, “This event is not only a step to provide exposure to these children, but also an earnest effort to wipe the tears of millions of underprivileged and suffering children. Our aim is not only to bring together two different and segregated worlds under one roof, but also to make the world realise that children indeed are the most precious gifts of God. The entire purpose of this activity is ‘No Purpose’, but just to bring smiles to these angels.”

Iqbal is all about a deaf and mute boy who strives to become a national cricket player. As Iqbal treads the path of his dream, his thirst to succeed is challenged by life’s harsh adversities, What follows is a momentous journey of bravery, pride and human achievement, as Iqbal embark on a dream chase.

A movie not just on cricket, but the underlying spirit to conquer against all odds.…

New Delhi, September 15
With the 2010 Commonwealth Games approaching fast, Delhi Government has decided to relocate one lakh slum dwellings and is planning to relocate the inhabitants in multi-storeyed buildings.

Under the proposed plan, the slum dwellers will be rehabilitated in one-room tenements, each costing Rs 1.55 lakh, of which Rs 40,000 will be paid by the Centre, another Rs 40,000 by the land-owning agency benefitting from the relocation and the remaining will be paid by the
beneficiary.

“The need for a new plan was felt as there is very limited land available in Delhi. While only 200 tenements can be built in a hectare in a rehabilitation colony at present, under the new plan, around 550 dwellings could be built in a hectare,” Urban Development Minister A K Walia told reporters here today.

He said the slum colonies were also hampering work on Commonwealth projects, with around 40,000 jhuggis situated on or in the vicinity of the Games sites, such as on the Yamuna river bed.

“We need a new plan to relocate such a large number of jhuggis, as the Slum Department is already struggling to find land to relocate 18,000 slums, for which money has also been paid to it by the land-owning agencies,” Walia said.

As per the current system for relocating the slums, while the land-owning agency pays Rs 50,000, Delhi Government gives Rs 15,000 and the inhabitant has to give Rs 10,000. Also, the slum dwellers will be required to register as a co-operative society to benefit from the new relocation plan, and the land where they will be relocated will be allotted to the society.

The inhabitants, however, will be bound by a clause that will disallow them from selling their houses.

“We have written to the land-owning agencies about the proposal, and talks are on with the Centre about it,” Walia said.

New Delhi, September 15
While travelling by the Delhi Metro, did you ever wonder what happened to mountains of soil, dug out to construct the underground segment between Delhi University and Central Secretariat.

Believe it or not, an amazing 31 lakh cubic metre of soil, 31,44,502 to be precise, was dug out to construct this 11-km segment for the Metro rail, connecting the corridors of power at the Central Secretariat with the heart of Delhi in Connaught Place, Chawri Bazaar and Delhi Main, and subsequently, Kashmere Gate and Vishwavidyalaya.

Between the 4-km section, connecting Delhi University and Kashmere Gate, 13 lakh cubic meter of soil was dug out. Of this, more than 8 lakh cubic meter was dumped at Shastri Park and remaining at various locations in Nizzamuddin, Ghazipur, Khyber Pass and Sonia Vihar.

Of the 18,44,502 cubic meter of soil removed for the Metro to chug between Kashmere Gate and Central Secretariat, about 15.7 lakh cubic meter was dumped at Shastri Park and the rest at Nizzamuddin, Nehru Place, Patpar Ganj, Shastri Park police lines, Ghazipur, Vasundhra, etc.

Now, for the maximum earth removed to build the tunnels and other infrastructure, including stations and other operational facilities, for the Metro, the low-lying area of Shastri Park, next to the Yamuna, came in handy for the DMRC. This is the area where the DMRC has a large set-up in the form of a Metro station, an operational control centre, a training centre and other facilities. The level of the land in this area was quite low and needed to be raised for all the construction activity.

Keeping in line with its environment-friendly image, DMRC engineers used the soil in conjugation with fly-ash, adopting the scientific compacting technique for construction. Incidentally, this also resulted in an addition to the carbon credits kitty of the DMRC and now other construction companies too are tapping it for a know-how on this environment-friendly technique.

But while the soil was being dug out and carried to its destination, not many in the Capital would have even come to know that a massive operation of this scale was being carried out right under their feet, in their neighbourhood.

Carrying more than 31 lakh cubic metre was made possible without disturbing the people or the vehicular traffic because the entire operation took place during the night so that no one was disturbed by the movement of the truck.

During the daytime, the soil would be stacked near shafts of the tunnels, to be carried away by an army of trucks during nights. The next day, tyres of all the trucks were washed at special plants so that there were no telltale signs on roads.

New Delhi, September 15
With five fresh cases reported during the last 24 hours, including two from outside the Capital, the total cases of dengue
here have touched 114.

In comparison to last year the situation of dengue has become serious this year. In September last year, only 29 cases were reported.

Dr. K. N. Tiwari, Director Health Services said that mosquito breeding were noticed in most of the coolers because people do not change its water frequently. They do not even sprinkle kerosene oil.

The Health department of MCD has issued directions to all its zonal offices to report all dengue cases and sensitive areas where the fever can increase speedily. This direction was issued after reviewing the situation in the national Capital. Dr. Tiwari said that the zonal officers were having meetings with RWAs to find out the sensitive areas where mosquito breeding takes place. With the 12 new cases reported today, total dengue total cases has increased 76 and 33 cases from other states. A senior officer of the health department said if situation was not controlled, the MCD would have to open special ward for dengue patients.

Greater Noida, September 15
Eighteen persons were injured in a clash today between terminated gardners and the private security of Jaypee Golf Course at greater Noida.

The security guards allegedly fired shots to disperse the gardeners, who have been protesting for the past few months and had come to hold talks with management, the police said.

The agitators shouted slogans against the management and allegedly damaged property and uprooted a tree.

About 18 persons have been admitted in various hospitals in Greater Noida, they added.

According to the local BJP MLA, Mr Nawab Singh Nagar, it is a clear case of the management resorting to violence to deny the workers their right to employment, which had been upheld by the court. The highhandedness of the management has created panic among the workers in the Greater Noida area, Mr Nagar added.

According to the management, however, the trouble was created by “some outsiders”, who provoked the workers into violence.

It was stated that an agitated crowd of about 300 workers had come marching to the office of the company. When a security official tried to stop them, the workers attacked him with lathis and a flowerpot, resulting in violence. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr Piyush Mordia, who rushed to the site, said the situation is still fluid.

New Delhi, September 15
An octogenarian NRI, accused of involvement in car-thefts, has been sent to 14 days judicial custody while hearing on his bail application was adjourned to September 17 by a Delhi court today.

The 82-year-old man, identified as Nirmal Jeet Singh Hoon, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Siddharth Sharma who heard arguments on his bail application a nd deferred it till September 17. The accused was granted judicial custody till September 29.

Hoon was arrested on the night of September 13 in connection with a car theft following which a city court had yesterday remanded him to a day’s police custody for interrogation.

The prosecution had told the court that there were as many as 44 FIRs pending against him.
— TNS

Noida, September 15
The Queen’s Baton was received at the Noida DND service building with full pomp and show, with elephants, IAF Band and hundreds of schoolchildren lined up along the route. Among those who carried the Baton at the Noida Stadium included MLA Nawab Singh Nagar, DM Santosh Yadav, SSP Piyush Mordia, Dy Noida CEO Tanveer Zafar Ali and host of other sportsmen.
— OC

New Delhi, September 15
Taking suo motu cognizance of the custodial death of a 19-year-old youth at PS Adarsh Nagar here two days ago, the Delhi High Court today issued notice to Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul in the matter.

A Division Bench of Justice Manmohan Sarin and Justice Manju Goel asked the Police Chief to explain the circumstances leading to the death of 19-year-old Sunil in police lock-up at PS Adarsh Nagar at around 4 am on September 13.

The death, termed as a suicide by the police, had sparked protests by his relatives and residents and led to suspension of two policemen.

Sunil’s relatives and residents alleged that he had been beaten to death by policemen. They had gheraoed the Adarsh Nagar police station for most of the day and police had to lathi-charge the crowd to bring it under
control. An inquiry by the additional district magistrate had been ordered into the
incident.

New Delhi, September 15
A three-day meeting of Council of Board of School Education in India (COBSE) in collaboration with NCERT began here today.

The meeting is being attended by over 50 members from different boards of school education across the country. The forum will discuss various issues of NCF-2005 and come out with the strategies to implement the recommendations of NCF-2005 effectively. It was pointed out that these schools boards would be directly concerned with the development of the school curriculum. It is important for the NCERT to seek their perspective.

The meeting was inaugurated by Sudeep Banerjee, Secretary to the Government of India, MHRD.

COBSE is a voluntary association of 41 boards of secondary education in India. It is registered with the Government of India since 1979, with associate members from friendly countries also.
— TNS